Art Stars Turn Out for Preview of Meyerhoff Show

Roy Lichtenstein's "Bedroom at Arles" (National Gallery of Art, Collection of Robert and Jane Meyerhoff)

A constellation of modern art stars -- including Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly and Brice Marden -- made a rare appearance in Washington on Wednesday at the National Gallery of Art's preview for "The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: Selected Works." The artists -- whose works figure prominently in the exhibit -- joined museum trustees, donors and VIPs (Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg) to honor the Maryland real estate magnate and his late wife. The Meyerhoffs began buying contemporary pieces in the 1950s, amassing an internationally acclaimed collection of postwar American art -- then donated nearly 300 pieces to the National Gallery. "We only regret that we have but one art collection to give to this country," Meyerhoff told the black-tie crowd to -- what else? -- a standing ovation.